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Wednesday, October 23, 2024

NEWS TODAY 23.10.2024

Doc ordered to pay ₹6L to patient for removing kidney Surgery Was For Kidney Stones

U.Sudhakarreddy@timesofindia.com 23.10.2024

Hyderabad : The Telangana State Consumer Redressal Commission has dismissed the appeal of a doctor at a hospital in Karimnagar accused of removing a patient’s kidney during surgery for kidney stones. The commission upheld the earlier ruling of the Karimnagar District Consumer Disputes Forum which had imposed a compensation of ₹6 lakh for medical negligence. The complainant, Boosa Mallaiah of Kalvasrirampur village in Karimnagar district, was operated upon by Dr S Ram Gopal at Seva Sankalp Kidney Hospital in Nov 2004.

Mallaiah had approached the hospital with severe stomach pain and after medical tests he was told he had kidney stones which needed to be removed. Mallaiah deposited ₹6,000 for the surgery which was conducted the following day. However, post-surgery, his wife was informed that there were complications and Mallaiah’s condition required him to be transferred to Hyderabad. He was subsequently shifted to NIMS, Hyderabad, where he underwent another operation. Later, Mallaiah developed stomach pain again and visited doctor Dr R Yakaiah at Venkateshwara Kidney Center who informed him that his right kidney was missing.

Mallaiah filed a police complaint, leading to an FIR and chargesheet. Dr Gopal claimed the patient had a large 29 mm kidney stone and due to excessive bleeding during the operation there was a life-threatening situation which required removal of right kidney. However, the commission, after reviewing both sides, found several lapses in the doctor’s handling of the case. It questioned why nephrectomy (kidney removal) was performed when the surgery was for kidney stone removal. Citing these points, the commission confirmed the earlier order of the Karimnagar District Consumer Commission

T’gana govt suspends 100 agri officers, move stirs row, AEOs cry foul

Sribala.Vadlapatla@timesofindia.com 23.10.2024

Hyderabad : The agriculture department Tuesday suspended over 100 agriculture extension officers (AEOs) of grade II, triggering a huge controversy. In the suspension orders, the department mentioned that disciplinary action was initiated against the officers for allegedly failing to record farmer deaths as per Rythu Bima scheme guidelines. However, the suspended AEOs argued that the state govt took the action for their reluctance to do the firstever digital crop survey — launched by the Centre — contending that the survey work would put undue burden on them.

One of the suspended AEOs said agriculture officers in 18 districts received the suspension orders. “Many others are also likely to get the suspension orders. We were supposed to update the Rythu Bima information within six months, but we managed to do it in a very short period,” he told TOI. He further said: “The digital crop survey is set to start soon and for every 20 guntas of land, we have to take photographs and upload crop information.”

Just 2k AEOs can’t cover entire state

With only 2,000 AEOs across the state, it is impossible for us to cover lakhs of land parcels. We have been telling the govt to consider outsourcing the work. Some states have already done it,” the suspended AEO added. Sources said the AEOs were already feeling the heat and openly expressed their reluctance to conduct the survey, but the govt insisted on proceeding with the survey.

In traditional crop surveys, field officers are not required to visit every land parcel and instead, gather information from farmers and record the de tails. “Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have successfully utilised outsourcing agencies for this task and we are also pressing for this so that it won’t burden us much,” a senior officer said. A group of AEOs tried to meet top officials in the agriculture department, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, agriculture department director B Gopi said the digital crop survey was successfully conducted on a pilot basis in 16 mandals in 2023 and added that some AEOs are resisting the survey now. “A few crops from the rainy season are ready for the harvest and this is the right time to do the survey,” he said.

PGP summer internship at IIM-A from Nov 12

23.10.2024

Ahmedabad : The summer internship recruitment process for 2024-25 for the PGP programme of IIM Ahmedabad (IIM-A) will start on Nov 12. IIM-A officials said on Monday that the Bschool will follow a cluster-cohort-based placement process, wherein companies offering similar profiles are grouped into cohorts, and several cohorts are invited to the campus in a particular cluster.

This year, the institute will have a hybrid mode of placement with both online and on-campus processes, they added. For the two clusters, the process will take place on Nov 12, 15, and 18, mentioned a note from the institute. The same process for PGPFABM will take place on Nov 12.

Vadodara man, 79, gets divorce, ₹47 lakh as alimony from wife

Couple Had Conflicting Views On Morality

Tushar.Tere@timesofindia.com 23.10.2024

Vadodara : Capping years of informal separation, a septuagenarian woman from a Vadodara business family and her 79-year-old husband settled for mutual divorce, with the latter receiving Rs 47 lakh from her towards alimony and lifetime maintenance. The family court in Vadodara recently approved the joint petition for divorce, filed by Parul and Darshan (both names changed). TOI has a copy of the petition. One of the reasons for the strained relationship was their conflicting views on “morality/ethics”.

“The petitioners have vast differences and disagreements, and both have diametrically opposite views on matters, including boundaries and standards of morality/ ethics,” the petition stated. Darshan initially filed for divorce three years ago, citing desertion as they were living apart since 2009. Parul consented, on the condition that he also separate from their business, where he was a partner.

Case records reveal that Parul claimed it was Darshan who chose to live separately and did not take responsibility for their daughters’ weddings. The petition also highlights that their family members attempted to reconcile the couple but failed. Parul paid Rs 47 lakh to Darshan as alimony, maintenance, and in exchange for relinquishing his rights to all movable and immovable assets. While Parul continues to reside in Vadodara, Darshan is now settled in Karnataka.

Man ‘loses’ ₹0.5 to India Post, gets back ₹15,000.5

Ram.Sundaram@timesofindia.com 23.10.2024

Chennai : A mere ₹0.5 — a coin many haven’t seen in years — sparked a consumer lawsuit in the city. The local post office responsible for the extra charge was ordered to pay a ₹15,000 fine and return the ₹0.5. On Dec 3, 2023, Manasha of Gerugambakkam visited the Pozhichalur post office to send a registered letter. Although the total fee was ₹29.5, the employees demanded ₹30. When Manasha requested the balance, he was informed that the system automatically rounded the amount to ₹30.

He offered to pay the exact amount through UPI, but staff at the post office declined it due to a technical issue. Frustrated, Manasha filed a complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. He said India Post’s practice of rounding off millions of daily transactions could lead to signifi cant amounts being siphoned off, potentially resulting in black money and a loss of GST revenue to the govt. The post office retaliated by saying that amounts involving less than ₹0.5 were ignored, but when the total was ₹0.5 or more, it was rounded off to the nearest rupee by the software. Regarding rejection of digital payments, the post office said that the ‘Pay U’ QR digital payment mode was malfunctioning since Nov 2023 and was discontinued in May this year.

After hearing both sides, the commission found that the post office admitted to overcharging due to a software glitch, which amounted to unfair trade practice under Section 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The post office was ordered to pay ₹10,000 as compensation for Manasha’s mental agony, ₹5,000 towards legal expenses and told to return the ₹0.5 that was overcharged.

Women staffers on contract can’t be denied maternity benefits: HC

Sureshkumar.k@timesofindia.com 23.10.2024

Chennai : Contractual conditions cannot deny or offer less favourable maternity benefits to woman employees, Madras high court has ruled, pointing out that the Maternity Benefit Act would prevail over such conditions. The first bench of Chief Justice K R Shriram and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the order on Tuesday on a plea moved by the MRB Nurses Empowerment Association, seeking direction to the Tamil Nadu govt to extend maternity benefits, including 270 days of paid maternity leave to all staff nurses working under the National Rural Health Mission Scheme (NRHM) in the state.

The benefits of the Maternity Benefits Act will be available to all woman employees who have completed 80 days of work in the establishment from which they claim the maternity benefit. Opposing the plea, advocate general P S Raman contended that the nurses are not eligible for any kind of leave applicable to regular govt servants, except for casual leave of one day per month and a day off. “In any other untoward exceptional circumstances, any individual is permitted to avail of leave other than the leave specified above, which will be treated as leave on loss of pay,” he said. ›

‘Maternity benefits not coterminous with employment tenure’

However, the bench relied on Supreme Court’s Dr Kavita Yadav case which held that once a lady employee fulfils the entitlement criteria specified in the Act, she would be eligible for full maternity benefits, even if such benefits exceed the duration of her contract. The court also held that maternity benefits are not coterminous with employment tenure, the bench added. In the Deepika Singh case, Supreme Court held that the Act was enacted to secure women’s right to pregnancy and maternity leave and to afford women as much flexibility as possible to live an autonomous life, both as amother and as a worker, if they so desire, the bench said. Therefore, the reliance by the state govt on conditions of the ap pointment and posting order to deny maternity benefits is untenable, the judges stated. The court then directed the state to consider and dispose of all pending and fresh applications for maternity benefits from NRHM nurses employed on a contractual basis within three months or three months from date of receipt of fresh applications, as the case may be, after making adjustments, if any, towards payments made earlier.

Advisory against fake medical college website

The Hindu Bureau

KRISHNAGIRI 23.10.2024

District Collector K.M. Sarayu has issued a release debunking a fake portal link in the name of the Krishnagiri Government Medical College Hospital and has cautioned students and parents against falling for it.

The portal mimicked the medical collegewith a fake order for 2024-25 naming two students with their NEET ranks and bank details for fee payment.

Governor confers degrees on graduands at MKU’s convocation

Governor R.N. Ravi conferring degree on a graduand at the convocation of Madurai Kamaraj University on Tuesday. R. ASHOK

The Hindu Bureau MADURAI 23.10.2024

Governor R.N. Ravi conferred degrees on graduands at the 56th annual convocation of Madurai Kamaraj University on Tuesday.

A total of 54,714 candidates received their degrees. It includes 353 Ph.D degrees, 1 D.Litt degree and 26,306 male and 28,408 female candidates. Further, 77 were honoured with endowment prizes and medals for their performance.

Dr. Sudha Seshayyan, Vice-Chairperson, Central Institute of Classical Tamil, delivering the chief guest address, said that though technological development had reached greater heights, it had become a tool of fear and oppression.

“As technology is a boon to achieve higher goals, it is equally true that technology is a bane that has gone beyond our control,” she noted.

“As we have gone deep into new digital innovations, we have lost human contacts and communication. Gadgets have eaten much into our lives. Correspondence by hand–written letters, exchange through postal system and shopping by manual presence have all become obsolete,” Dr. Sudha Seshayyan said. She urged the students to hold on to the Indian perspective of knowledge and learning.

“The Indian tradition has always emphasised life-long learning. However, it is not a plain emphasis on continuous learning but a clear and categorical expression that learning can never be complete,” she added.

E. Sundaravalli, Commissioner of Collegiate Education, welcomed. Minister for Higher Education Govi Chezhiaan, Pro-Chancellor of the university, was not present at the convocation.

S. Pushparaj, Associate Professor and Head of Department of Econometrics, MKU, sent a letter to the State government stating that he was boycotting the convocation as Mr. Ravi, who was the Chancellor, was acting against the norms of the State and its tradition.

By removing certain words from the ‘Tamil Thai Vaazhthu’ he had insulted the State, he said.

‘Contractual employees also entitled to paid maternity leave’

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI 23.10.2024

In a significant verdict, the Madras High Court has ruled that contract employees, too, are entitled to maternity benefits, and that the provisions of the Maternity Act of 1961 would prevail over contractual conditions if the latter deny or offer less favourable benefits.

The First Division Bench of Chief Justice K.R. Shriram and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy held so while allowing a writ petition, pending in the High Court since 2018, against the denial of 270 days of paid maternity leave to nurses appointed under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

The MRB (Medical Services Recruitment Board) Nurses Empowerment Association had filed the writ petition highlighting the denial of maternity benefits to nurses appointed under the NHRM, a scheme floated and funded by the Centre for enhanced healthcare in rural areas.

The petitioner’s counsel, M. Padmavathy, told the court that over 11,000 nurses had been appointed in Tamil Nadu under the NRHM on a consolidated monthly pay of ₹7,000, which was subsequently revised to ₹11,000 on the basis of court orders.

Though the Maternity Act contemplates grant of 270 days of paid maternity leave to employees who have put in more than two years of service, the State government had been denying such a benefit to NRHM nurses on the ground that they were contractual employees, she complained.

After recording her submissions, the Chief Justice said the Supreme Court had, in Dr. Kavita Yadav versus Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2024), held that an employee who fulfils the entitlement criteria would be eligible for maternity benefits even if they exceed the duration of her contract.

In that case, the top court had taken into account that the 1961 Act was enacted to secure women’s right to pregnancy and maternity leave, and to afford them as much flexibility as possible to live an autonomous life, both as a mother and as a worker, if they so desire.

“Therefore, by virtue of Section 27, the provisions of the 1961 Act will prevail over contractual conditions denying or offering less favourable maternity benefits. Consequently, the reliance by the respondents on condition 6 of the appointment and posting order to deny maternity benefits is untenable,” the Chief Justice wrote.

SASTRA inks MoU with Australian University

The Hindu Bureau THANJAVUR 23.10.2024

Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy (SASTRA), Deemed to be a University, has inked a memorandum of understanding with Deakin University for a jointly supervised Ph.D. programme leading to a joint degree.

The MoU provides candidates to register either at SASTRA or at Deakin University for conducting research at both institutions. Scholars are required to spend at least six months at the host institute, fostering collaboration and intellectual exchange between supervisors and researchers.

The MoU aims to enhance the quality of research outputs, leading to joint publications, patents, and innovative products. Upon successful completion of the programme, candidates receive a single or joint degree awarded by both SASTRA and or Deakin, recognising their academic achievements from both universities, according to a university release.

Fake quota certificates: HC directs DVAC to get details from varsities

The Hindu Bureau MADURAI 23.10.1024

In the wake of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) having booked four persons who allegedly received appointments under the 20% reservation for Persons Studied in Tamil Medium (PSTM) using fake certificates from Madurai Kamaraj University, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the DVAC to get details from other universities.

‘Depute officers’

A Division Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and B. Pugalendhi directed DVAC Madurai to depute officers to Annamalai University in Chidambaram, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli, Periyar University in Salem, and University of Madras in Chennai, and ensure that the required documents are obtained on or before October 28.

The Bench observed that only after court orders did Madurai Kamaraj University extend its cooperation, and that the investigation found that fake PSTM certificates had been issued to four candidates, who used them to get appointments in Group-I service. The court took note that the DVAC also registered a case against some officials of Madurai Kamaraj University.

The judges observed that the court had earlier directed the DVAC to verify similar PSTM certificates issued by other universities. The Investigating Officer was having doubts with regard to 22 candidates who got PSTM certificates through distance education from Annamalai University, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Periyar University and University of Madras.

The court said that due to non-cooperation of the universities in furnishing the required documents, the investigation agency was not in a position to complete the inquiry as directed by the court. This amounted to an offence, it said.

No more time

The court said it was not inclined to grant further time to the investigation agency to collect the details required for the investigation. Whoever suppresses the material particulars with an intention to shield the offenders from prosecution and punishment was liable to be prosecuted under Section 238 of BNS 2023, it said.

The court permitted the investigation agency to expand the scope of the investigation and include the offenders who are suppressing the material documents and thereby protecting the offenders. If there was any further delay from the universities, the investigation agency shall conduct a search and collect the required documents, the court said.

The investigating officer shall file a report on the progress made in the probe, the court said, and posted the matter for hearing on October 28.

The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by advocate G. Sakthi Rao of Madurai. Earlier, it directed the DVAC to investigate the irregularities in the issuance of PSTM certificates.

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Madras university yet to get surplus grant from centre

Varsity says it is eligible to get Rs 100 crore fund after it received category-1 status, and had applied for it in March, this year.

Madras universityPhoto | Express

Binita Jaiswal

Updated on:

21 Oct 2024, 9:56 am

CHENNAI: The University of Madras was granted category-1 status from University Grants Commission (UGC) almost six months ago making it eligible to get Rs 100 crore surplus grant. However, the state university is yet to get any funding from the centre.

Varsity officials said after receiving the category-1 status they had immediately applied for the surplus grant with all details. As the ministry of education has not replied so far, they have again sent a reminder seeking the funds.

“We had applied for the surplus grants in March, and in August we sent a reminder letter to the union ministry seeking release of the funds. We are eligible to get Rs 100 crore in two phases for strengthening research and skill development work on the campus,” said an official in the varsity.

As per UGC (Categorisation of universities for grant of graded autonomy) Regulations, 2018, category -1 is the highest category which provides maximum level of autonomy. Along with the category-1 status, a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) rating of A++ also qualifies universities for a Rs 100-crore surplus grant. University of Madras had acquired A++ NAAC ratings last year.

After getting category 1 status, the university can start new programmes or skill courses, set up off-campus centres, open research parks or innovation centres, and hire foreign faculty. They can do all of this without approaching UGC for any kind of approval.

With this autonomy, the universities can enhance their reputation, strengthen their research activities, and generate more revenue by launching more online and distance education courses. However, the University of Madras is not able to utilise these benefits as it has no money.

“Now, the varsity is struggling to manage its day to day expenses. So how can we focus on opening research parks and launching new courses? We badly need money to improve research work and infrastructure development of the university,” said PK Abdul Rahiman, secretary of the Teachers’ Collective of the University of Madras.

P Duraisamy, former vice-chancellor of the university, said during his tenure in 2019 the university was granted category-II status and at the time it received Rs 40 crore under the scheme. “The Rs 40 crore helped us a lot in enhancing our research activities. These funds are extremely crucial for the varsity,” said Duraisamy.

Despite repeated attempts, UGC or ministry officials could not be reached for comments.

Life for dad, 4 kin, who poured acid in woman’s mouth for ‘honour’ Vocal Cords In Shreds, She Had Written Down Her Dying Declaration

Kanwardeep.Singh@timesofindia.com TIMES BANGALORE 22.10.2024

Bareilly : A Bareilly court has sentenced five people, including a woman’s father, to life imprisonment for their role in an acid attack that led to her death in 2023, sealing the verdict based on the victim’s dying declaration. The woman was being forcibly married to a man from Budaun in April 2023. She called her father the next day, saying she wanted to cancel the marriage. That’s when the father plotted to kill her. The woman ’s dad was a farmer, and her elder sisters were married. She wanted to marry her neighbour and though he was from the same community the family didn’t like the idea of a “love marriage.” On the night of April 23, some family members, including her father, first took the woman on a bike. They then stopped on the Delhi-Lucknow highway in Bareilly, took her to the nearby bushes, and strangled her. Presuming her to be dead, her father asked his son to bring an acid bottle, which the accused poured on her face and in her mouth and removed all her clothes to conceal her identity. The woman miraculously managed to survive with over 40% burns and was taken to hospital by passersby in a critical condition.

The woman, 25, was admitted to the hospital on April 24 and died six days later, soon after the police managed to record her dying statement in writing before a magistrate. Unable to speak, she wrote a note on her hospital bed, saying her father and relatives had beaten her on her wedding night before being sent with her husband, who raped her. Later, her father lured her to a secluded spot under the pretence of taking her home but strangled and abandoned her on the road. ADGC Harendra Rathore told TOI: “Her throat and vocal cords were charred.

In a written statement, she said she somehow survived long enough to ensure her assaulters were punished. Her note was crucial in nailing the culprits.” He added, “She detailed how her two brothers-in-law threw her in to the bushes and tore her clothes. Her father later poured acid on her face and mouth, causing her to lose her voice. She demanded capital punishment for her father and brothers-in-law for their heinous acts. Police investigations revealed that the woman’s minor brother was sent by their father to buy acid.

He is being tried in juvenile court.” Rathore said, “A case was initially registered against seven accused. One of the accused was a minor, and his case file was transferred to a juvenile court. The woman ’s husband was booked under the section of rape, but he was acquitted by the court as he was legally married to her.”

Issue provisional certificates to law grads, HC orders BCG

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 22.10.2024

Ahmedabad : In a huge relief for law graduates, whose requests for provisional enrolment were not being considered by the Bar Council of Gujarat (BCG), the Gujarat high court on Monday directed the BCG to grant provisional certificates to them and other such students from the state so they could practise law. A provisional certificate will enable them to take the All-India Bar (AIB) examination, which is mandatory for permanent enrolment with the Bar Council. Lawyers involved in the litigation said that around 5,000 law graduates would benefit from the HC’s interim order. More than 2,600 applications for provisional enrolment, submitted by law graduates from govt law colleges and grant-in-aid law colleges, are yet to be processed by the BCG. Students from 19-20 such institutions, awaiting provisional enrolment, had approached the high court as Bar Council of India (BCI) had not renewed the recognition of their colleges.

This was due to their failure to meet certain criteria, including the appointment of adequate faculty members and failure to pay inspection fees to the BCI. The students submitted before the HC that they took admission through a common admission process after applying to the respective universities. The colleges, whether they had BCI approval or not, were featured on the websites of the universities which had given the students admission to those colleges. However, since the colleges did not have approvals from the BCI, the BCG had not been processing their applications. Justice Aniruddha Mayee ordered the BCG to process the applications and issue provisional certificates, subject to the verification of forms and other documents later, so the students could practise law.

The HC extended the deadline for submitting the applications from Oct 24 to Oct 31 in the interest of the law graduates. The HC made it clear that “the present direction is passed in peculiar circumstances in the state of Gujarat and should not be treated as a precedent.”

10/22/24, 9:06 AM Times of India ePaper ahmedabad - Read Today’s English News Paper Online https://epaper.indiatimes.com/timesepaper/publication-the-times-of-india,city-ahmedabad.cms 1/2 10/22/24, 9:06 AM Times of India ePaper ahmedabad - Read Today’

NUS, Indian univs to explore joint degree courses: Edu min

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 22.10.2024

New Delhi : National University of Singapore (NUS) will explore collaborations with Indian higher education institutions in areas such as joint and dual degree programmes as well as academic and research initiatives, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said during his visit to the country on Monday. He also met Singapore PM Lawrence Wong.

According to senior education ministry officials, discussions at the meeting were centred around enhancing cooperation in school education, vocational training, and research between India and Singapore. The focus was on advancing partnership through the key pillars of “talent, resource, and market”. Pradhan also met his counterpart Chan Chun Sing to explore ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various education sectors, and Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan to discuss enhancing the India-Singapore Knowledge Partnership. In his meeting with Wong, Pradhan emphasised India’s view of Singapore as a trusted knowledge partner, particularly in the realms of deep tech, startups, and innovation ecosystems.

TN for 50 more med seats in each of11 colleges

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 22.10.2024

Chennai : The state health department has sought National Medical Commission (NMC) approval to increase 50 undergraduate seats in each of the 11 medical colleges started in 2021. If this happens, Tamil Nadu will increase its seats in 36 govt medical colleges by 550 MBBS seats to 5,600 for admissions in 2025-26. On Monday, director of medical education Dr JSangumani said increase in seats would enable more students to study medicine at a nominal cost.

“TN is among the states with the maximum number of medical colleges. With a policy to have one new medical college in every district, we have ensured govt colleges are equal to private and self-financing medical colleges.” Of the 76 medical colleges in the state, the health department runs 36, while ESIC Medical College in KK Nagar and AIIMS in Madurai together offer 200 seats. The remaining 38 are self-financing colleges, private universities and deemed universities.

An order asking six collectors to identify land parcels in their districts for the new colleges. “The process is on. Once land is identified and transferred to the health department, we can apply to NMC for permission,” said a senior health department official. This means admissions to the new colleges will not start by 2025. TN has also sought permission to start 70 postgraduate medical seats in 13 medical colleges for 23 different courses. While the seats cover almost all specialities, the highest demand is for anaesthesia and gynaecology, followed by four seats in paediatrics. “We have asked for six seats in each of these streams. The decision to increase these seats was based on demand within medical colleges,” Dr Sangumani said.

Navarasu murder: HC grants bail to John David

Sureshkumar.k@timesofindia.com 22.10.2024

Chennai : More than 26 years after a medical student, John David, was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for killing and chopping off his junior Pon Navarasu at Annamalai University, Madras high court granted bail to him till his plea for premature release is decided by the state govt. It was in 1996 that Navarasu was murdered on the university campus. On March 11, 1998, a trial court convicted John David and awarded him imprisonment for life. However, the high court acquitted him in 2001.

On a state appeal, Supreme Court reversed the high court order and confirmed life imprisonment for him in 2011. His mother T Esther filed the present plea in the high court after Tamil Nadu govt on May 8, rejected his plea for premature release from jail. A division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice V Sivagnanam quashed a govt order rejecting his premature release application and ordered its reconsideration. In the meanwhile, he shall be released on bail, said the bench.

According to Esther, her son John David was convicted and sentenced to life im prisonment for the murder of Navarasu in 1998 by a trial court order dated Mar 11, 1998. After completing over 21 years of imprisonment, he applied for premature release under a GO order dated Aug 11, 2023, proposed by the state for lifers who completed 14 years in jail. However, prison department rejected his application. She then moved the court saying the rejection order was unjust and untenable before the law. The authorities did not take into consideration that the petitioner completed 16 years of imprisonment as of Sep 15, 2023, and was eligible for premature release. “The authorities, without considering the long years of incarceration, simply rejected the application for premature release and stated a tailor-made reason without application of mind,” she said.

The authorities failed to consider that during the period between his acquittal and conviction by the Supreme Court, he was working in a software company with four promotions. There was not even a single bad remark, and hence there is no purpose in keeping him in prison any longer, she said.